Racemic elacomine ((±)-2), a hemiterpene spiro oxindole alkaloid from Elaeagnus commutata, was synthesized in five steps from 6-methoxytryptamine (19) in 16% overall yield (Scheme 3). The final oxidative rearrangement of the corresponding β-carboline precursor (±)-21 furnished isoelacomine ((±)-22) as a by-product (6% overall yield). A more elaborate route that started from L-tryptophan furnished (+)-2